Twelve Days of Christmas
by quizasvivamos
Summary: Holiday Klaine AU: At the start of the new school year, Kurt and Rachel get a new neighbor whom Kurt begins to crush on, but Kurt has yet to work up the courage to talk to him. Kurt devises a plan and uses the holidays to let his neighbor know he's interested.


**A/N: **This one shot was originally posted on tumblr.

* * *

_Project Runway_ played on the television, serving mainly as background noise while Kurt zoned out over a cup of hot tea. Fashion and Tim Gunn's sass weren't enough to hold his interest when his mind insisted on drifting to something that had been occupying his thoughts the past few months.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you," Rachel said, coming up behind Kurt and leaning over the back of the couch.

Kurt startled and sat up straight, nearly spilling his tea, and bit down on his tongue so he didn't lash out at Rachel for scaring him. She laughed, fully comprehending the meaning behind the expression he was now shooting her. She knew it all too well.

"Jeez, you need to stop doing that. I could have burned myself," Kurt said.

"Calm down, Kurt. You're fine." Rachel circled halfway around the couch and plopped down next to him.

Kurt heaved a heavy sigh, set down his tea, turned off the television, and then turned toward Rachel beside him. "Blaine," Kurt breathed. "His name is Blaine, and that's all I really know, besides the fact that he's absolutely gorgeous and, according to reliable sources at NYADA, totally gay."

"And yet you've still not said a single word to him," Rachel said. "You need to make a move, Kurt." She nudged his leg with her foot. Kurt rolled his eyes and then grabbed one of the decorative pillows and brought it to his chest.

"I know, believe me I do. I just don't know how to approach him to break the ice," Kurt admitted.

"Well, for starters, you already know he goes to the same school, so you _obviously _have _something_ in common. How about trying something along the lines of, 'hey, we go to the same school, and we also happen to live in the same apartment building, and I can't stop thinking about how much I want to put my mouth all over you'." Rachel grinned devilishly, and Kurt smacked her with the pillow.

"C'mon, Rach. Stop being ridiculous. You act as if all I want is sex or something. I have different priorities." Kurt turned his chin and nose up at her.

"Different than who? Me?" Rachel tutted. "That's right. You want the perfect fairytale romance, and that's why you haven't dated a single person yet in New York. Is anyone ever going to meet your expectations?"

"Yes," Kurt snapped. "Someone will."

"Ah, yes. Prince Charming in apartment 206 whom you know _nothing_ about. You've built up a fantasy about the guy in your head, and I think that's even worse than dating around. What if you find out he's nothing like you imagined?"

Kurt huffed indignantly. "He will be. I just - I have a feeling about him."

"More like you've been practically stalking him since September," Rachel said.

"It's not stalking, it's just silent intrigue and admiring from afar," Kurt said defensively.

"Regardless of what you want to call it, it needs to end. You need to talk to that boy - " She paused, her eyes widening, and it was almost as if Kurt could see the light bulb flick on inside her head. "Oh! You should be his Secret Santa or something! It's a few weeks until Christmas, surely you could come up with something to give him a hint."

And then it suddenly clicked with Kurt. "Twelve Days of Christmas!"

Rachel quirked an eyebrow. "Oh no, not that awful song. Please tell me you aren't planning to sing that awful song to the guy. You have a beautiful voice and all, Kurt, but even you couldn't make that song less grating."

Kurt laughed and shook his head. "No, not the song, Rach. The game. It's something we used to play around the holidays with the neighbors when I was young. On the twelve days leading up to Christmas, we would buy twelve different gifts, leave it for the person on their doorstep or something with a note or clue, and then basically ding-dong-ditch. The idea was that they had to try to figure out who it was - if they didn't end up catching us."

"That sounds delightful," Rachel said, smiling at the starry look in Kurt's eyes.

"The only thing is, I don't have a lot of money at the moment," Kurt said, his face falling. "It's not exactly glamorous living the broke-college-student lifestyle."

"I guess you're going to have to be resourceful then, Kurt," Rachel said

"Yeah, I guess so." He was quiet in contemplation and then, "And I think I have the perfect idea to start with!"

-X-

On December fourteenth, Kurt came home from classes, arms laden with a few bags from the craft store at which he'd stopped along the way home.

Grateful to have the loft to himself for the time being, Kurt went to work. He was making Blaine a candle, one of the most generic gifts he could think of, because, with it, he couldn't go wrong. He had chosen a smaller sized glass, about three ounces, so it wouldn't take a terribly long time to burn down. He decided to use old, broken crayons, a cheap and colorful alternative to spending more than he had to. Besides, he figured it would add just enough flair to the candle rather than giving Blaine something boring that could be store-bought. Kurt peeled all the paper off, and soon began to melt the wax, pouring it in around the wick.

It took a long time to complete the candle since each layer had to cool before another could be added. About halfway through, he inserted a small metal charm in the shape of the letter K, his first hint. It was an idea he'd found in a magazine, and it was the most important part of the gift. He then covered it up with about two more layers of hued wax, feeling extremely proud of himself when it was finally complete, cooled, and ready to wrap up in a big, flashy bow that was sure to get anyone's attention.

Candle carefully cupped in his hand, Kurt crept out into the hallway and down to Blaine's door, set the candle on the ground in front of it, knocked loudly, and then took off back around the corner, feeling as giddy as he had when he played the game as a child.

-X-

The next day, Kurt saw Blaine pass him on campus, but they didn't make eye contact or acknowledge each other at all. Kurt expected nothing else. There was no way Blaine could have figured it out quite yet, and that was how Kurt intended for it to be. But he'd give anything to be able to gaze into those captivating eyes, for Blaine's eyes to be for him and him alone. Some days, he couldn't stop thinking about Blaine's eyes.

That's how Kurt found himself inside a small card shop, staring into the large, round, shiny brown plastic eyes of a stuffed dog toy. He knew that buying the gift was breaking his own rule of not outright purchasing something, but he couldn't resist. Those big, droopy puppy eyes reminded him of his neighbor, the man he wanted to woo. How could anyone resist something so cute?

Later in the evening, Kurt sat at the kitchen table, sewing kit out and open and supplies strewn across its surface, as he hand-stitched a little collar for the toy, attaching a little metal charm in the shape of a U. When he was finally content with how it looked, Kurt cleaned up his supplies, discarded all the scraps of thread and fabric, and picked up the now personalized stuffed dog.

He made his way toward Blaine's door, paused in front of it, gazed into those puppy eyes again, then kissed the toy on its soft head before placing it down on the ground and knocking on the door. Kurt was sure to depart just as swiftly as the previous night, knowing that Blaine might be suspecting something now.

-X-

The game became increasingly exciting with each passing day he didn't get caught, and Kurt tried his hardest not to give himself away when Blaine passed him in the building, nodding and waving hello to Kurt when he briefly caught his eye. Kurt nearly swooned, wishing he could work up the nerve to just talk to him. But he'd already started the game, and he couldn't not finish it now. Soon, he thought, soon enough, he'd talk to Blaine.

Kurt realized that it was only the third day and he was already running out of ideas. He didn't really know that much about Blaine, save what he looked like and what he wore. Kurt was definitely attuned to Blaine's style choices, most specifically, his strange affinity for bow ties. Almost every time Kurt saw him, he was wearing a different one, tucked neatly under the crisp collar of a polo or dress shirt. He would have scoffed at anyone else, but for some reason they suited Blaine. He had a sort of nerd chic look about him, complete with gelled down hair, and Kurt thought the look accentuated his handsome, chiseled features, though he would love to see what his hair looked like in its natural state and to run his fingers through it.

When dance class let out, Kurt hurried across the city to Brooks Brothers. It was a bit of a hike, but Kurt didn't care. As he searched the men's section, combing through the drawers of neckwear, Kurt came across a burgundy and navy striped bow tie. Ignoring the price tag the best he could, Kurt carried it to the register to be rung up. So he was definitely cheating now, but it would just kill him to see Blaine wearing it. It was a costly gift, a bit of a splurge, but Kurt thought that Blaine looked like a sophisticated man, and only the best would do. He just wanted everything to be perfect.

Underneath the bow tie in its little glossy box, Kurt placed a small tag with the letter R written upon it.

-X-

"How is it coming along?" Rachel asked over lunch in the school cafeteria the next day. She nibbled at her salad, awaiting an answer from Kurt.

Kurt took his time chewing and swallowing the bit of sandwich in his mouth. "Yesterday, I may or may not have dropped fifty bucks on a piece of fancy neckwear…"

"You didn't," Rachel said, her jaw dropping. "But, Kurt, that's like an entire night of tips from the diner!"

"I know."

Just then, Kurt saw Blaine out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head to follow his movement. Sure enough, fixed neatly at his collar was the bow tie Kurt had purchased. Rachel followed his line of sight, bringing her hand up to her mouth to stifle a squeal.

"He's wearing it, isn't he," she said, waving her hand in the air.

"Why, yes he is," Kurt said and then flushed crimson and turned back to his panini.

"What's the plan for tonight? Please tell me it's not more designer neckwear, or we won't make rent this month."

"Rachel, your dads pay for everything, and, no, I didn't buy anything else yet. The truth is, I'm having a hard time coming up with another gift idea."

She considered the issue as she chewed on a sliver of carrot. "We already have the makings for cookies, and you make some killer baked goods, Kurt," Rachel said.

"True, but how do I know what he'll like?"

"You can't really know. Just make him something you'd like. Isn't that what most people do anyway when they don't know what to give someone?"

She was right, so Kurt planned to pull out his recipes as soon as they got home.

-X-

Rachel's singing finally ceased.

Kurt was pacing the floor between the couch and the kitchen when Rachel came out of the shower, clad in a robe, her hair wrapped and wound up tightly in a towel on her head.

"What's wrong?"

Kurt halted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now that I've made him my signature salted caramel chocolate chip cookies, I'm afraid I've run out of tricks." He threw up his hands. "I don't know what else to give him!"

"Do you think he liked them?"

"Well, I didn't find the tin in the garbage, so I think it's a safe bet to assume so. Though, it was such a cute tin with little music notes all over it and -" Kurt groaned in frustration. "He has all the letters of my first name now."

"Clearly, he hasn't figured it out yet. No one has come knocking on our door, anyway."

"I know, and you're right. But that doesn't solve my problem for a gift for tonight. I never thought this game would be so difficult to play."

"Give him something of yours, something that means something to you but you won't be too hurt parting with," Rachel suggested.

"Like what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, something that screams Kurt Hummel. Maybe a musical? Between the two of us, we have doubles of some DVDs in our collection, so you could choose one of those, one of your favorites, and give him that."

"That's not a bad idea at all," Kurt said after some thought. "Speaking of my first name, I think I have just the one, too."

Kurt marched over to their DVD collection and pulled a slightly worn copy of _The Sound of Music _off the shelf. It had Julie Andrews, the von Trapps, and an award-winning, classic, memorable score - what wasn't there to like about it? It wasn't Kurt's favorite, but it was one that held a special place in his heart as well as his mother's who had borrowed one particular name from the musical to bestow upon him. And now he would give it to Blaine and hope that it could also hold a special place in Blaine's heart, just as Kurt hoped to eventually.

So on a small card, Kurt wrote the letter H, slipped it into the front of the DVD case, and snapped it tightly closed.

-X-

The gift of the musical led to a musical movie marathon the following day, which then led to his next gift idea: an ornament in the shape of a songbird.

The table was once again littered with Kurt's craft supplies: his clear case was out and open, and he had a fine-tipped bottle of adhesive in hand. There were sequins and beads and tiny rhinestones strewn across the table, all silver in color.

Kurt glued on the feathers for the wings and the tail, which curved downward elegantly, thus putting on the finishing touches, and then he set it proudly aside to dry. The little bird was roughly the size of a finch and had a glittering sequined and jeweled exterior. It was beautiful, and once he was sure it was dry, Kurt held the ornament up to the light before lowering it down into the neat little box on top of a U-shaped charm. He covered it up with the tissue paper and then placed the lid on top.

When he placed the gift on the floor and knocked, Kurt heard the door begin to budge and move on its track, causing his heart to nearly stop. He bolted down the corridor in the opposite direction of his apartment and toward the stairs, ducking down and hiding in the corner.

Kurt listened until he heard the door close again. And then he let out the breath he was holding with a sigh.

-X-

"Kurt," Rachel said, giggling as he turned around.

"What?" Kurt's eyes widened at the sight of the glass bottles Rachel was holding, one in each hand. "What is that?"

"Wine and champagne," she said. "Brody picked them up and brought them over last time he was here. I've had these babies stashed away for the holidays."

"And…?" Kurt began.

"And you're going to drink it with me, right?"

"No, Rachel, it's not really my thing. Besides, shouldn't you save that for a get-together or something?"

"I have an even better idea."

"And that is?" Kurt said skeptically.

"Give the bottle of wine to Blaine." She was smiling from ear to ear. "I think it's romantic, Kurt. Don't you?"

"Hold on one second, Rachel Berry. What if Blaine doesn't even drink? I guess he could give it away if that's the case, but then -" Kurt paused as an idea came to him. "I could _totally_ hand paint wine glasses. They're super inexpensive, and I could give him those first. That would take care of two days of gifts!"

"Oh," Rachel said. "That sounds lovely!"

"Are you up for a trip to the store?"

"Of course!"

-X-

The next evening was easy. Kurt fixed a letter, the second M, to the long neck of the bottle and slid it into a gift bag made especially for gifts of this nature.

There were only four more nights of this and four days until Christmas. Blaine would now have in his possession K-U-R-T-H-U-M-M, and Kurt wondered if the boy had a clue. Kurt knew who he was, but perhaps that was only because he'd been so bold to ask around. It was quite possible that Blaine had no idea Kurt even existed. Sure, he'd recognize him as his neighbor, but a nameless one.

He just hoped that all his efforts would not be in vain.

-X-

Kurt was glad the holiday break had officially begun, and he sat around the apartment in his pajamas, sipping his coffee before starting his day late. With his third college semester out of the way, he had two more shifts at the diner before Christmas, but he was content for now to not have to brave the city and the cold to attend classes.

All he could think about was relaxing and sleeping, a lot of sleeping, and keeping warm indoors. But Kurt had something to attend to: figuring out the ninth gift for Blaine.

Perhaps Rachel was right about how he was creating this grandiose idea of who Blaine really was in his head, dreaming up some impossible person. But Kurt was a dreamer, after all, and always had been.

He picked up the pillow on the couch and, soon, it came to him. He'd give Blaine a place to rest his head when he needed to, to relax, to dream.

In a matter of hours, Kurt had fashioned a small decorative pillow. On the front panel, he had hand-stitched the words "Joyeux Noël", and, along the edge, he added some fringe. In the one corner, Kurt tied a charm shaped like the letter E.

-X-

"I swore to myself I'd never be one of those people," Kurt muttered as he sifted through the clothing articles on the rack.

"And that is?" Rachel asked, finding a sweater and plucking it off a display table.

"The ones who go out to buy last-minute gifts. Yet, here we are, at Nordstrom on the day before Christmas Eve, and - oh!" Kurt picked up a gray, wool, houndstooth patterned scarf, lifting it up to examine the price tag. "It's a little costly, but it's 33% off! Oh, Rachel, I can't pass this up."

"Don't tell me that's for _Blaine_," Rachel said with a knowing grin.

Kurt felt the fabric between his fingertips. "Well it's not for my dad."

"What ever happened to 'I'm not going to spend money on this game'?" Rachel said. "You already have no self-control when it comes to this boy. I can't even imagine what it would be like if you were actually dating him."

"Then don't," Kurt said simply. "But I'm buying him this scarf. It's been a brutal winter so far, and it's a very practical gift."

He made sure to include an L-shaped charm in the box before dropping the gift off that evening.

-X-

The next day on Christmas Eve, Kurt spotted Blaine in their building by the mailboxes, the scarf draped around his neck and shoulders.

Kurt thought he was imagining it, but Blaine seemed to be looking at him with a peculiar expression on his face. Did he know now? He had Kurt's entire name in clues, though Kurt couldn't be sure Blaine had pieced it all together. How could he know for certain?

Since it was the day before Christmas, there were only two gifts left. They were obvious to Kurt. Now that he was sure to be found out, it was time to make his intentions obvious. He'd slipped an envelope with a Starbucks gift card under Blaine's door. No more clues were necessary. He didn't think he could spell it out any clearer.

-X-

Christmas arrived, and Kurt and Rachel sat huddled up on the couch, watching _It's a Wonderful Life_ and exchanging gifts. The exchange was short-lived since there wasn't much they could buy for each other. Kurt was overjoyed when he unwrapped a pair of Vivienne Westwood gloves, the pair straight off of his wish list.

"You really shouldn't have. They're perfect!" Kurt said, leaning over to wrap Rachel in an embrace. "Thank you," he said by her ear before releasing her.

"You're welcome. It was the best I could do since you're so difficult to shop for."

"That's why I make sure everyone has a list." He grinned fondly at her.

"Your dad chipped in for them, just so you know."

"I figured as much - aha! And there it says it on the card."

"Too bad I couldn't give you what you really want," she said, shifting in her seat to tuck her feet under her body.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, have you heard anything from Blaine yet?"

"Oh, that." Kurt shook his head. "No, not yet. But I suppose he's trying to enjoy his Christmas with friends or family or whoever."

"Do you think he got your final gift?"

"I don't think he could have missed them," Kurt said.

-X-

On December twenty-sixth, the day after Christmas and the day after Kurt's game had come to an end, Kurt was organizing his sheet music collection for the upcoming semester when there was a knock at the door of the loft. He continued to shuffle through the pages laid out on the table while Rachel pranced over to the door to answer it.

"Hey," came a deep, soft voice. The caller sounded confused, and then he spoke as if he was reading off of something. "Is this where, um, 'Kurt Hummel' lives?" Kurt looked up when he heard his name mentioned, dropping the music book in his hand when his eyes fell upon the visitor.

"Why, yes it is," Rachel said, looking back at Kurt with wide eyes and a beckoning nod of her head. Kurt rose from the chair and approached the entrance to the loft, his heart racing faster with each step.

His face appeared to light up at the sight of Kurt. "Hey, you're Kurt then?" Blaine began, now addressing him. "I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for all the wonderful gifts, and for the roses," he finished, growing bashful, his voice softening even more.

"Oh, y-you're w-welcome," Kurt stammered. "I -"

"They're lovely, and I don't know what to say," Blaine said. "I mean, I can't even begin to express my gratitude, but I think I have an answer to the question mark you left in the card…"

Kurt swallowed, nervously awaiting Blaine's response.

He pulled something out of his pocket, the Starbucks gift card, and held it up. "Yes, my answer is yes." His mouth stretched wide with a bright, hopeful smile.

Kurt was speechless, but Blaine cleared his throat and continued on, almost rambling now.

"I feel so terrible that you bought me all those things, even hand-made some of them, just to ask me - I think - to ask me out."

"It was nothing," Kurt tried to assure him, but Blaine looked sheepish and slightly uncomfortable.

"No, Kurt, it was everything." Blaine hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I'd seen you around the building and on campus a few times. I had no idea that - that you were thinking about me too."

"You were thinking about me?" Kurt asked in complete awe.

"Always. Ever since I first saw you, looking so confident and poised and beautiful." His cheeks colored, and Kurt felt the blood rise to his own at the confession. "I just didn't know your name, and I was too shy to ask it, to even talk to you. And I couldn't believe that you ended up being my Secret Santa, the mysterious gift-giver - and of the most perfect gifts, might I add."

"You really liked them?" Kurt asked.

"I loved them."

They stood there smiling at each other, not speaking, a question burning in Blaine's eyes.

"What are we waiting for?" Kurt finally worked up the courage to say. "Let's go get some coffee."

-X-

They sat across the small table from each other in the toasty coffee shop, lattes in hand. Blaine was fiddling with the lid of his cup, too nervous in Kurt's presence to properly place it on. Kurt found it incredibly endearing, and he tried to hide the blush that was interminably creeping up into his face, sure to become permanent. At least he could attempt to blame his rosy complexion on the cold winter air, though he wasn't sure Blaine would be fooled.

"I, uh, I have a surprise for you," Blaine said after some comfortable silence. "I'm not sure if it will ever measure up to all the little ones you gave me, but I thought I could at least try. You see, I feel like I know a lot about you now, though we're still practically strangers. It's like I've been getting to know you the past twelve days. You revealed little things about yourself with each thoughtful gift. You don't seem like a very conventional guy, but I think I have you figured out to a degree."

"You do?" Kurt said, intrigued.

Blaine reached into the inside pocket of his coat, which was draped over the back of his chair, and withdrew an envelope. He placed it on the table and slid it across the surface toward Kurt. "For you."

Kurt lifted the envelope, placed his fingers on the flap to open it, and was interrupted by Blaine.

"We can - we can always exchange them if it's not right," he said hurriedly.

His curiosity piqued by the statement, Kurt tore into the envelope, revealing two tickets to a Broadway show. "'Once'," he breathed, reading the title off and then the printed information. "Orchestra seats - oh, Blaine, you shouldn't - I don't deserve these."

"But you do," Blaine said. "And they're for tonight."

"It's perfect," Kurt looked up, tears in his eyes, "they're perfect."

Blaine appeared relieved, and he beamed at Kurt, his eyes crinkling and mouth falling open as he laughed joyfully at his good fortune. "So you'll go with me then?"

"Of course I will," Kurt said as if Blaine was a fool for even asking.

-X-

Blaine held Kurt's hand all the way back from the show. It took everything in Kurt to finally let go, something he wished wasn't inevitable. The coffee date was amazing, and the evening was more than he could have ever hoped for. As he got to know Blaine, there was nothing that changed his mind about him. In fact, he seemed even more of a dream once he found out that he was also studying voice, performance, and musical theatre at NYADA, though they were both confused as to why they hadn't had any classes in common.

"I'm a freshman," Blaine had told him, and then it was all clear to Kurt.

They stood outside the door of the loft, lingering in the dimly-lit hallway, not knowing how to part.

"Do you want to come in?" Kurt asked. "To say goodnight and all," he added, hoping to combat any possible misinterpretation of the invitation.

"Sure," Blaine answered, and he followed Kurt through the doorway.

As soon as Kurt entered the loft, he noticed something was out of place, and he turned his head upward to see something dangling from the beam above the entranceway. The first thought that came to Kurt's mind was that Rachel was late on this one. Then he thought she was a schemer, knew exactly what she was doing, and he'd get her back for this. Amidst his musings, Kurt was caught off guard and swept into Blaine's arms.

"It's mistletoe," Blaine spoke, so close to Kurt now.

Kurt didn't have a chance to respond, not that he would have been able to, because Blaine's mouth found his, and then he was melting into the kiss, melting into Blaine. When they pulled apart, they continued to hold each other, overheating now from the kiss and from still being bundled up in their outdoor winter apparel.

They reluctantly broke apart.

"Don't be a stranger, Kurt Hummel," Blaine said as he stepped back over the threshold and into the hall. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Blaine Anderson, and - happy holidays," Kurt said, a permanent grin plastered on his face.

"And even happier now."


End file.
